Mahler Mania, Rebooted

[vers la flamme]

I'm very much interested in the Sixth, too, now.

Which I haven't been for such a long time that I can't even find a recording in my house, so I have order the Boulez.

I have been looking at the Boulez/Vienna 6th too. His 5th with them is so great. I love the artwork for his Mahler series.

[Herman]

I have been looking at the Boulez/Vienna 6th too. His 5th with them is so great. I love the artwork for his Mahler series.

I have ordered nr 6. Used singles are very cheap because there's a box set, so many people dumped those pretty singles recordings.

[Mahlerian]

I have been looking at the Boulez/Vienna 6th too. His 5th with them is so great. I love the artwork for his Mahler series.

I really wish they had kept using expressionist artwork for all of the covers, because I discovered some really fascinating paintings that way.

The one for his Ninth is great too:

[vers la flamme]

I really wish they had kept using expressionist artwork for all of the covers, because I discovered some really fascinating paintings that way.

The one for his Ninth is great too:

Ah, I forgot they decided to get photographic for 2, 3 and 8. Yes, they should have kept going with the beautiful paintings.

@Herman, that's a good point. I considered getting the boxed set but I don't really think I need all that much Boulez Mahler. But I am going to jump on the 6th. I've found it for four dollars on ebay.

Man, is anyone enjoying the 8th as much as I am lately? I've been listening to the Haitink/RCO and today the Bernstein/London/Sony.



What an excellent symphony. It's very different from any of his others, & I think that's why I didn't like it for so long. But it's definitely no lesser than any of his other work. I've heard critics say that its optimism is unconvincing. Well, I don't know if optimism is the word I would use, nor would I call it any less convincing than, say, the "pessimism" or "nihilism" (and again, I don't think these words capture the whole story) of the 6th.

I'm going to listen to my other recording, Wit/Warsaw/Naxos, sometime next week, and I have the very famous Solti/Chicago en route to me as well.

[Mahlerian]

What an excellent symphony. It's very different from any of his others, & I think that's why I didn't like it for so long. But it's definitely no lesser than any of his other work. I've heard critics say that its optimism is unconvincing. Well, I don't know if optimism is the word I would use, nor would I call it any less convincing than, say, the "pessimism" or "nihilism" (and again, I don't think these words capture the whole story) of the 6th.

That was certainly Adorno's view. I think, as perceptive as he was regarding Mahler's music (and remember that he was one of the first to really take Mahler's music seriously), his own blind spots came into play there. Mahler considered the Eighth his best work at one point.

[vers la flamme]

That was certainly Adorno's view. I think, as perceptive as he was regarding Mahler's music (and remember that he was one of the first to really take Mahler's music seriously), his own blind spots came into play there. Mahler considered the Eighth his best work at one point.

I think there is some truth to that. I think I had it all wrong before, thinking about it as some kind of arrogant expression of grandeur when in reality, that's not at all what it is, but something more mystical, more mysterious, maybe more existential. In any case, it's really quite approachable considering the headiness of its subject matter. I look forward to spending much more time with it over the years.

[Madiel]

The only 8th I've had is Rattle's, and it's unbearably happy-shouty-joyous.

I'll be listening to Gielen's shortly.

People recommended Nagano to me as non-happy-shouty-joyous but I'm yet to try the whole thing. Samples were promising.

[relm1]

The only 8th I've had is Rattle's, and it's unbearably happy-shouty-joyous.

I'll be listening to Gielen's shortly.

People recommended Nagano to me as non-happy-shouty-joyous but I'm yet to try the whole thing. Samples were promising.

Which one of Rattles 8?  They are not of equal quality.

[Madiel]

Which one of Rattles 8?  They are not of equal quality.

I didn't know he had more than one. City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

[André]

Same with Gielen. He recorded it twice, with quite different results. His second version is a full 12 minutes longer.

[Cato]

Ah, I forgot they decided to get photographic for 2, 3 and 8. Yes, they should have kept going with the beautiful paintings.

@Herman, that's a good point. I considered getting the boxed set but I don't really think I need all that much Boulez Mahler. But I am going to jump on the 6th. I've found it for four dollars on ebay.

Man, is anyone enjoying the 8th as much as I am lately? I've been listening to the Haitink/RCO and today the Bernstein/London/Sony.



What an excellent symphony. It's very different from any of his others, & I think that's why I didn't like it for so long. But it's definitely no lesser than any of his other work. I've heard critics say that its optimism is unconvincing. Well, I don't know if optimism is the word I would use, nor would I call it any less convincing than, say, the "pessimism" or "nihilism" (and again, I don't think these words capture the whole story) of the 6th.

I'm going to listen to my other recording, Wit/Warsaw/Naxos, sometime next week, and I have the very famous Solti/Chicago en route to me as well.

The Bernstein was my first hearing of it: he slam dunks the work!  The Solti/Chicago...well, make up your own mind about it!   

[Madiel]

Same with Gielen. He recorded it twice, with quite different results. His second version is a full 12 minutes longer.

Well I've got whatever's in the box set.

[vers la flamme]

The Bernstein was my first hearing of it: he slam dunks the work!  The Solti/Chicago...well, make up your own mind about it!   

I agree, that Bernstein recording was damn good. I thought there were a few faults with the sound but after a short while they didn't bother me a bit. I'm going to listen to it again soonish. I also plan on hearing Wit/Warsaw/Naxos soon which came highly recommended to me. I love Wit's work with Polish composers like Szymanowski, Penderecki & Lutoslawski, but haven't heard any of his Mahler—it seems he generally takes slower tempi with Mahler, no? The majority of his Naxos Mahler recordings are 2CDs. Solti can probably wait. I've heard it before and wasn't impressed then, but this is before I really had any love for the symphony at all.

I want to hear more of them too. I feel like there's a lot that can be done with this work interpretively speaking. But then another part of me is saying just pick one and be done with it.

[Herman]

I seem to recall that Solti's nr 8 was a recommendation long time ago, when most things Solti did were a recommendation and we seemed to live in a world where you had Solti and Karajan if you wanted to be completely sure you had 'the best'.

[Jo498]

The box should have the more recent Gielen recording with the SWF. There was an older one on Sony that was live from the re-opening of the Alte Oper, Frankfurt in the early 1980s and among other things, sonically far from ideal.

[vers la flamme]

I seem to recall that Solti's nr 8 was a recommendation long time ago, when most things Solti did were a recommendation and we seemed to live in a world where you had Solti and Karajan if you wanted to be completely sure you had 'the best'.

That's before my time. I got into classical music in an era when everyone hated Solti and Karajan. 

It seems Solti/CSO Mahler 8 is still a recommendation, especially for its cast of soloists and recorded sound, but I've seen more than a few reviewers say that he misses the mark. In any case it's still more highly regarded than any of his other Mahler recordings. I've heard it once in the past and thought it pretty good, along with the Solti/London Resurrection with Heather Harper and Helen Watts.

[André]

The box should have the more recent Gielen recording with the SWF. There was an older one on Sony that was live from the re-opening of the Alte Oper, Frankfurt in the early 1980s and among other things, sonically far from ideal.

A turbocharged reading with distant sound. For a rather similar experience, but in more immediate sonics, there's Järvi père on BIS.

[relm1]

The Bernstein was my first hearing of it: he slam dunks the work!  The Solti/Chicago...well, make up your own mind about it!   

Is this Bernstein/LSO No. 8 the same one in the DG box set since they never recorded that symphony, they used a pre-existing or live performance for the box set but which performance?

[Biffo]

Is this Bernstein/LSO No. 8 the same one in the DG box set since they never recorded that symphony, they used a pre-existing or live performance for the box set but which performance?

The track listing (Amazon) for the Bernstein DG Mahler 8 in the box set has the orchestra as the Vienna Philharmonic plus three Viennese choirs. One of the reviews states that the performance is the 'almost identical' to the one in the Vienna DVD cycle

[vers la flamme]

The track listing (Amazon) for the Bernstein DG Mahler 8 in the box set has the orchestra as the Vienna Philharmonic plus three Viennese choirs. One of the reviews states that the performance is the 'almost identical' to the one in the Vienna DVD cycle

I was under the impression that it was the same performance as the DVD cycle; he never got around to re-recording the 8th before his death, so they reused that one from a previous traversal.

The London recording is part of the Sony/NYP box, as he never recorded it in New York (or at least not completely, to my knowledge). I have it as part of that great box set.